Letter-file.



L. LEITZ.

LETTER FILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAPLE. 1914.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

L. LEITZ LETTER FILE.

APPLICATION FILED MARKS. 1914.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

4 SHEEISQSHEETIZ.

Lows LlZIFZ.

NWEMWW L. LEITZ.

LETTER FILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. I914.

Patented Dec. 5', 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

LOUI5 Lad 2;. ENVENWR L. LEITZ.

LETTER FILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a. 1914.

It @Wfiflfi. Patented Dec. 5,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WWW mm LOUIS LEITZ, 0F S'IUT'IGART, GERMANY.

LETTER-FILE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Deco, 1916..

Application filed March 5, 1914. Serial No. 822,693.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS Lnirz, a subject of the King of Wurttemberg, and residing at :2 Oberer Hoppenlauweg, Stuttgart, VVurttemberg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Files, of which the following is a specification.

Letter files on the so-called curved prong system, that is, letter files in which the curved arc-shaped prongs are divided and the parts are guided in an arc toward one another (either into one another, or against one another) possess, as compared with all other systems, the great advantage that they allow of a specially wide opening of the prongs which particularly facilitates the sorting or exchanging of the contents of the file. The simplest arrangement of these files is the one in which the back of the file is arranged as a hinge and in which the prongs are attached to the wings of the hinge so that by opening the hinge sufliciently wide, the prongs are drawn apart from one another, sothat the documents carried by same can be withdrawn. A great disadvantage of this system is, however, the fact that the back of the file is broken which spoils the appearance of the file and hinders the writing of inscriptions on same and also renders difiicult or impossible the pro vision of a hole for taking hold of the file. It has therefore already been attempted to arrange the hinge on a special stiff strip provided between the cover and the back, instead of on the back of the file, but this led to very awkward and unwieldy construction. Another method was to attach the axis of the hinge by itself above the back of the file and thus avoid the break in the back of same. One attained, however, in this manner either a much smaller opening of the prongs than in the case of the broken back which could be folded over backward,

when the axis of the hinge was fixed too near the back of the file, or it was necessary to arrange the hinge comparatively far away from the back so that the contents could not lie flat on the covers when the file was opened which considerably afi'ected the use of the file.

The subject of the present invention is a file which possesses the advantages of the so-called curved prong-system, namely in the first place a wide opening between the prongs and fiat-lying contents when the file is opened without the necessity of breaking the back of the file, which can be closed like a book when finished with.

The invention consists essentially in the fact that the joint of the hinge carrying the filing prongs, which serves to facilitate the opening of the file as well as the opening of the prongs, is not in any way firmly at tached to the back of the file, but is arranged movable .vertically to same, while each wing of the hinge is in itself pivotally mounted so that the hinge joint moves and alters its distance from the back of the file when the wings of the hinge are turned, too wide an opening of the hinge being prevented by simply limiting the said movement of the hinge joint.

Three forms of construction of the subject of the invention are given as examples in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows diagrammatically one form of construction of the file, the file being closed, Fig. 2 is a plan of the hinge on a larger scale, Fig. 3 is a section taken vertically to the central axis of the back of the file, Figs. 4, 5 and 6 each show a front view of the hinge constructed according to the invention in fully closed, half opened and fully opened condition,.Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. a showing a second form of construction, Fig. 8 is a plan of this form of construction which corresponds to Fig. 2 of the first example, Fig. 9 is a front view of the file mechanism in closed condition, according to the third form of construction, Fig. 10 is a section through the same in opened condition but with closed filing prongs, Fig. 11 is a front view with opened prongs.

On the back of the file a which is suitably provided with a gripping hole 1) two angular plates 0, c are attached on which are mounted the wings (Z, 03 of the main hinge which carry the filing prongs consisting in known manner of the wires 6, e and the tubes f, f, the main wings of the hinge cl, d and the minor wings o, o being supported by means of pivots g, g in links h, k which in their turn are pivotally mounted on the supporting plates 0 by means of bolts 2', 2', the minor wings a, '0 being clearly shown in Figs. 4;, 5, 6, 7, 9, l0 and 11. When the wings d, d of the hinge are rotated, the hinge joint k carrying a sleeve w (see particularly Fig. 3) can move in a guiding slot Z in the supporting plates 0, c, from the V ing the contents of the file.

position shownrin-Fig. 4E to that shown in Fig.6. Thejoint wire of the hinge is formed'into a bridge m'having knee-bends It, a being so'arranged that'when in the 'bridge m forms a handle'by means of which the hinge pin may be drawn outward and thus'cause the w ngs to open.

.When the file is putaway unused, the

I :hingeis in the position shown in Fig. 4 and .7 Fig. 1, that is, theprongs e and f are pushed into one another as far as possible. In ordina-ry use of the file, that is, when same is open, the prongs e and f can slide out of one another as far as the knee-bends of the bridge at which contact with the limiting edges 0, 0 allow, that is, asfar asshown in Fig. 5, so that the contents of the file can conveniently be looked through and the said contents lie as fiat as possible on the covers of the-file. In this position the bridge at is easily accessible so that it can, as shown in Fig. 6, belaid over, the hinge joint 70 7 being thus allowed a further upward movement so that the prongs e and f can be drawn entirely apart and an amply large opening provided between the prongs for the purpose of withdrawing and exchang- It is not absolutely necessary that the wings of the hinge should. be mounted on special links on the side plates 0, 0. 'The wings (Z, (Z could, as shown in Fig. 7, be

' I arranged in a simpler, if, however, somewhat less suitable manner, by supporting them in guiding slots 8, s in the side plates by means of suitable pins 1", r. In this manner the easy raising and lowering of the main hinge joint'in a suitable guide'Z would be rendered possible.

The form and design of the guide Z is of secondary consideration,

for instance,'the guide instead of consisting of two guiding slots Z and 79 standing at an angle to one another (Figs. 1-6) could consist simply of a straight guide Z (Fig. 7)

with a limiting edge 0 at one end of the guide which can be rendered inoperative by a suitable dislodging movement ofthe bridge m. Besides this, various alterations and different arrangements are possible, for instance, the stop or limiting edge 0 could bemade' movable to one side instead of the bend r/"of the bridge'm in order to allow the full upward movement of the hinge joint for the purpose of opening the prongs.

According to the form of' construction shown in Figs. 9-11, the hinge consisting of the wings d, d and the jointlc carries the filing prongs consisting in known manner of the wires 6, e and the tubes f, f. lhe wings d, d of the hinge are supported in slots 00 by means of pivots or pins 1, r, so that when opening the hinge from the position shown in Fig. 9 to the position shown in Fig. 10, the hinge joint moves upwardly in the guiding slot Z of the end plates 3 3 The joint wire is formed into a bridge mbent at the points n, n, and the bends n, at are so arranged that in the posi tion shown in Fig. 10 they contact against the limiting edge 0 of the end plates 0. In consequence of this limitation of the movement, a further opening of the hinge in the position shown in Fig. 11 is only possible, if the bridge m, as shown in Fig. 11, is laid over in one of the transverse slots 2, 2. According tothe invention, a transverse slot 1) leading to the right is provided as well as one leading to the left. Therefore, if the whole of the contents of the file lies on the right hand side, then the full opening of the hinge joint and therewith also of the filing prongs can be brought about by a disengaging movement of the bridge at toward the left, and vice versa, the hinge can be fully opened by a disengaging movement of the bridge on toward the right in case the entire contents of the file lie on the left. In this manner the handling of thefile is considerably improved and simplified. For

the purpose of securing the bridge in the,

could be superseded by any equivalent ar- 1 rangement, is of subsidiary importance, as also the constructional design of the hinge in so far as only the hinge oint makes a movement which is limited by a stop when the hinge is opened.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a letter file, a back, a pair of inwardly projecting parallel plates secured to the back, each plate being adjacent one end of the back and having a perpendicular slot, a hinge having a hinge pin extending into each of said slots, and a handle for the hinge pin for pulling it back and forth perpendicularly in the slots to open and close the hinge wings, curved prongs mounted on the hinge wings, the handle and slots being arranged to form cooperating means for limiting the outward perpendicular movement of the hinge pin and holding the hinge wings and curved prongs in a partially open condition.

2. In a letter file, a back, a pair of inwardly projecting parallel plates secured to the back, each plate being adjacent one end of the back and provided with an angular slot having a perpendicular branch, a hinge having a hinge pin extending into each of said slots, a handle for the hinge pin for pulling it back and forth perpendicularly in the slots to open and close the hingewings, and curved prongs mounted on the hinge-wings, said handle and slots forming means for limiting the outward perpendicular movement of the hinge pin and holding the hinge wings and curved prongs in a partially open condition and for permitting movement of the hinge wings and curved prongs into the fully opened condition.

3. In a letter file, a back, a hinge, side plates supporting said hinge, means for moving the hinge joint vertically away from and toward the back to open and close the hinge-wings respectively, said side plates having angular slots forming guides for the hinge joint and its moving means, stops on the hinge-joint-moving means located in said slots and curved prongs mounted on the hinge-wings.

4. In a letter file, a back, a hinge, side plates supporting said hinge, means for moving the hinge-joint vertically away from and toward the back to open and close the hinge-wings respectively, said side plates having "11'' shaped slots forming guides for the hinge joint and its moving means, stops on the hinge-joint-moving means located in said slots and curved prongs mounted on the hinge wings.

5. In a letter file, a back, a hinge, side plates supporting said hinge, means for moving the hinge-joint vertically away from and toward the back to open and close the hinge-wings respectively, said side plates having angular slots forming guides for the hinge joint and its moving means and stops on the hinge-joint moving means slidably secured in the said slots.

6. In a letter file, a back, a hinge, side plates supporting said hinge, means for moving the hinge-joint vertically away from and toward the back to open and close the hinge-wings respectively, said side plates having T shaped slots forming guides for the hinge joint and its moving means, stops on the hinge joint moving means slidably secured in said slots, resilient means adjacent the junction in the T shape slots for resisting lateral movement of the stops and curved prongs on the hinge wings.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS LEITZ.

Witnesses:

FRIDA KLAIBER, ERNEs'r ENTENMANN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

